EU Directive – Pathways to Gender Balance
Is your company ready for the EU's gender balance requirements?
When the calendar hits 30 June 2026, listed companies must comply with the EU's Gender Balance Directive.
This means that either 40% of the non-executive directors on the board or 33% of the total management must be of the underrepresented gender. At the same time, the directive requires a gender-neutral recruitment process and annual reporting if the goals are not achieved before the deadline.
The rules on gender equality in company management are part of the ESG wave that has swept over both the Danish and international business community in recent years. Development is fast, and the amount of rules, standards and recommendations increases almost constantly.
Why should you participate?
Although the directive was adopted in November 2022, many companies are still surprised by the requirements. Some are aware of the directive, but are busy with other EU requirements such as the CSRD directive.
With just one year left to meet the targets, it is important to prioritize the EU's Gender Balance Directive now so that you and your organization are prepared for and can meet the new requirements.
In the webinar, together with experts, we delve into:
- The guidelines in the directive and the specific requirements
- How Danish companies are affected by the government's decisions
- How you create a better gender balance in your large company
- A practical case study with Carlsberg on how they work to increase the proportion of women in management.
Who is the webinar relevant to?
The webinar is aimed at HR managers, compliance officers and others who work with diversity and inclusion.
Julie Folmer-Niemann, Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Carlsberg
Julie has a master's degree in Business and Psychology with a particular focus on behavioral design. This expertise was first applied in a Nordic role as Employee Experience Manager, where Julie observed significant shortcomings in how inclusion and equality were distributed in the clients' organizations.
This experience ignited Julie's passion for DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), leading to deeper involvement in global Employee Resource Groups (ERG) and extensive self-taught knowledge.
Julie moved to a role as Danish DEI Manager at ISS before taking on global responsibility as Head of DE&I at Carlsberg, where she continues to drive meaningful change on a global scale.
Kasper Jelsbech, Partner, Chief Consultant, LIVING INSTITUTE
Kasper is a diversity strategist and keynote speaker with a Ph.D. in anthropology. With a passion for promoting inclusive cultures, Kasper focuses on inclusive leadership, promotion of gender balance, reduction of unconscious bias and cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary collaborations.
Victor Honoré Nielsen, Attorney, Holst, Lawyers
Victor deals with business transfers, commercial contracts, ESG, Contract Management, energy supply, commercial disputes, company law and general commercial law.
Sarah Attrup, Student Assistant, Holst, Lawyers
Sarah Attrup, who is a master's student and Max Sørensen fellow at Aarhus University and lawyer Victor Nielsen. Sarah has great insight into the many EU initiatives within social and environmental sustainability and will write a prize thesis at the law institute in 2025 on companies' due diligence obligations according to the EU's new directive on this (CSDDD)